vanish from the latter two-thirds of the book. Thus, the anecdotal styledetracts from the narrative, but this is not a major flaw if the readerapproaches the book from the perspective of a reminiscence, which itis. There are a few errors in the spelling of proper names, most notablyCongressman Richard Kleberg's name was given as "Cleburne." Thismistake most likely resulted from the careless transcription of the au-thor's tapes.While not a scholarly work, You Meet Such Interestzng People will in-trigue both scholars and the general public. To the former, it is valu-able as a primary text for students of turn-of-the-century cultural andsocial history, journalism, and women's history. A more popular audi-ence will delight in the opportunity to meet Scott through her words.No one will escape the conclusion that while Scott has known some veryinteresting people, she herself is an interesting person.Austin, Texas NANCY C. BECKOil Fzeld Child. By Estha Briscoe Stowe. Number seven in the ChisholmTrail Series. (Fort Worth: Texas Christian University Press, 1989.Pp. xv+181. Foreword, preface, photographs, illustrations, epi-logue, acknowledgments. $13.95, paper.)The story of life in the Texas oil fields of the 192o0s and 1930s is arecord of human endurance in the face of hardship and challenge.Among the prospectors who moved westward in the Texas oil boom ofthis era was the family of Estha Briscoe (later Stowe), who tells the storyof her childhood as the family moved from boomtown to boomtown inTexas-Mexia, Wortham, Santa Rita, McCamey, Crane, Wink, andOdessa-and lived briefly in Ardmore and Duncan, Oklahoma. Noother writer, the author states, had recounted the early oil boom sagafrom the standpoint of the oil field worker's family, and that, she adds,is her reason for telling her story.Oil-patch families often lived in tents or in small, cheaply constructedbuildings furnished with bare necessities that could be moved in thefamily car. Many roads were treacherous, and weather could easilylimit travel. Water was often not plentiful or conveniently accessible,and medical assistance was distant or unavailable. Money was some-times scarce. Schools, churches, and post offices had not been estab-lished in most boomtowns, and if established, were not equipped tohold the population overflow of boomers.Despite such hardships, the child Estha reacted with innocent accep-tance. She learned from loving parents to find strength in family tiesand to deal with an endless procession of" trying circumstances. Thestory recounts numerous crises. A tent burned, and a woman died in

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